“Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat,”
This is a verse about excess. Obviously Solomon is speaking to the destructive behaviors of drunkenness and gluttony. Thankfully this verse came up a few days after I started my latest diet. If it came up a week ago I would have been guilty. In all seriousness though there is great danger in any habit or activity taken to an extreme. Self control is a fruit of the Spirit, a by product of walking with Jesus. This is not a condemnation of certain behaviors, it is a repudiation of taking those behaviors to a destructive level. A key part of this verse is to not participate with others who make it a habit to live lives of excess and inappropriate behavior. Occasionally one of my children would do something they knew my wife and I did not approve of. They would try and avoid discipline by claiming someone else was doing it too. Sometimes they use the parental favorite of “everybody is doing it.” That was never very effective. It does not work with our loving Heavenly Father either. He wants the best for each of His children as individuals. Today live moderately and hang out with others who do as well. #BeTheEdge
“”I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.” 1 Corinthians 6:12 NIV
